 Match programme cover | |||||||
| Event | 2014–15 Football League Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 1 March 2015 (2015-03-01) | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Man of the Match | John Terry (Chelsea) | ||||||
| Referee | Anthony Taylor (Cheshire) | ||||||
| Attendance | 89,294 | ||||||
| Weather | Rain[1] | ||||||
←2014 2016 → | |||||||
The2015 Football League Cup final was afootball match that took place on 1 March 2015[2] atWembley Stadium, London. It was the final match of the2014–15 Football League Cup, the 55th season of theFootball League Cup, a competition for the 92 teams in thePremier League and theFootball League.
It was contested byChelsea andTottenham Hotspur in a repeat of the2008 Football League Cup final, which the latter team won.[3] Chelsea won 2–0 in the 2015 final, with a goal from captainJohn Terry at the end of the first half, and a second fromDiego Costa in the 56th minute. It was Chelsea's fifth League Cup win, and their first silverware in the second managerial spell ofJosé Mourinho at the club. Chelsea qualified forthe next season'sUEFA Europa League by winning the match, but eventually qualified for theUEFA Champions League by winning the Premier League. The Europa League place went toLiverpool, who finished sixth in the Premier League.[4]
Mourinho expressed delight in winning another trophy in his career, while Terry spoke of optimism for Chelsea's future prospects. Tottenham managerMauricio Pochettino declared pride in his side despite their defeat.
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Chelsea were playing in their seventh League Cup final, having won four, most recently in2007. Their most recent appearance in the final was the first at Wembley, which they lost in2008 to Tottenham.[3] The game was Chelsea's first domestic cup final since their victory in the2012 FA Cup final.[5] Incumbent Chelsea managerJosé Mourinho was in charge in their League Cup wins in2005 and 2007, and squad membersPetr Čech,John Terry andDidier Drogba played in both finals, with the latter scoring in both victories.[6][7] All three also played in the 2008 defeat by Tottenham.[8]
Tottenham were making their eighth appearance in the final, having won four previous times, last of which was in 2008. The 2008 final was the first at Wembley and was won against Chelsea.[8] Tottenham's most recent appearance was a defeat againstManchester United in apenalty shootoutthe following year.[9] Of their squad in the 2014–15 season, captainYounes Kaboul was an extra-time substitute in their 2008 victory, whileAaron Lennon – on loan atEverton at the time of the 2015 final – started that match and the defeat in 2009.[8][9]
The two teams also played at theold Wembley in the1967 FA Cup final, which Tottenham won 2–1.[10] Tottenham's most recent appearance at Wembley was also against Chelsea, a 5–1 defeat in an FA Cup semi-final in 2012.[11]
By the time of the final, Chelsea and Tottenham had already played each other twice duringthe league season. On 3 December 2014, Chelsea hosted a 3–0 win, with goals fromEden Hazard,Didier Drogba and substituteLoïc Rémy, despite missing leading scorerDiego Costa through suspension.[12] Tottenham won the reverse fixture 5–3 only 29 days later, withHarry Kane scoring twice among further goals fromDanny Rose,Andros Townsend (penalty) andNacer Chadli.[13]
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Chelsea, of thePremier League, began their League Cup campaign in the third round, where they were drawn at home againstBolton Wanderers of theChampionship. DefenderKurt Zouma, making his debut, opened the scoring, but Bolton equalised six minutes later through aMatt Mills header. Ten minutes after the start of the second half, Oscar put Chelsea back into the lead and they won 2–1, dominating the match with 28 shots to Bolton's 3.[14]
In the fourth round, Chelsea travelled to theNew Meadow to faceShrewsbury Town ofLeague Two. Three minutes after play resumed from a goalless first half,Didier Drogba's half-volley gave Chelsea the lead, but Shrewsbury gained an equaliser from substituteAndy Mangan. With nine minutes to play, Chelsea regained the advantage when Shrewsbury defenderJermaine Grandison deflected a shot fromWillian.[15]
Chelsea again were the away team to a lower opponent in the quarter-finals, facingDerby County of theChampionship. In the first half,Eden Hazard gave Chelsea the lead, later doubled by aFilipe Luís free kick, the full-back's first for Chelsea.Craig Bryson halved the deficit for Derby, but soon afterwards defenderJake Buxton was sent off for a foul onLoïc Rémy andAndré Schürrle scored the final goal of a 3–1 Chelsea win.[16] In the semi-final, Chelsea beatLiverpool 2–1 on aggregate afterBranislav Ivanović scored the winning goal in the first half of extra time in the second leg, heading in Willian's free kick.[17]
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Tottenham, also of the Premier League, began by facingNottingham Forest atWhite Hart Lane. After a goalless first half,Jorge Grant gave the visitors from the Championship the lead in the 65th minute. SubstituteRyan Mason equalised six minutes later, and Spurs eventually won 3–1 after two late goals fromRoberto Soldado and another substitute,Harry Kane.[18]
Tottenham hosted another second-tier opponent in the fourth round,Brighton & Hove Albion, and went into the lead throughErik Lamela, a half-time replacement forAaron Lennon. Kane later confirmed a 2–0 victory.[19]
In the quarter-finals, Tottenham again played at home, against top-flightNewcastle United. Away goalkeeperJak Alnwick made a mistake which allowedNabil Bentaleb to give Spurs a half-time lead.Nacer Chadli doubled it 36 seconds into the second half. Kane and his replacement Soldado also scored in the 4–0 victory.[20] Tottenham's semi-final against League One clubSheffield United started with a 1–0 home win,Andros Townsend converting a penalty won byJay McEveley's handball.[21] A week later in the second leg atBramall Lane, Tottenham doubled their aggregate lead withChristian Eriksen's free kick, but in the second half 18-year-old substituteChé Adams scored twice to equalise the aggregate. With two minutes remaining, Eriksen scored his second to put Tottenham into the final.[11]
Tottenham were eliminated from the last 32 of the2014–15 UEFA Europa League byFiorentina three days before the final, leading managerMauricio Pochettino to say that the team needed to recover quickly.[22]
Chelsea managerJosé Mourinho used his pre-match interview to state that his previous wins in the tournament had changed the way that clubs approach the League Cup: "Lots of teams have followed us since then when we took the League Cup as a real competition, as a real challenge. It is a big competition."[23] He separated the final from the league season, saying, "I don't think if we win the cup final we will win the league, or if we lose it we will lose the league."[23] He refused to discuss the suspension of Matić, dismissing it with "If I speak to you about that, I promise you I will be in big trouble".[23] Despite opining that the two teams and the match officials would act fairly, he criticised players who dive, despite not naming any names.[23] Mourinho also claimed that in after leaving Chelsea for the first time in September 2007, he was approached to manage Tottenham by chairmanDaniel Levy, and again in 2012.[24]
Chelsea midfielderNemanja Matić was suspended for the final, due to a two-match ban he received for pushing overBurnley'sAshley Barnes in a league match on 21 February 2015.[25] Another central midfielder for the club,John Obi Mikel, missed the match through a knee injury.[26] Due to Matić's absence,Kurt Zouma – usually a central defender – moved into defensive midfield, withGary Cahill introduced into Zouma's previous position. Chelsea made four other changes from their draw with Burnley:Petr Čech started in goal in place ofThibaut Courtois,César Azpilicueta at left-back instead ofFilipe Luís, andRamires andWillian came into the midfield at the expense ofJuan Cuadrado andOscar.[27] Chelsea set up with a three-man attack, withEden Hazard and Willian wide ofDiego Costa.[27]
Tottenham's second-choice goalkeeperMichel Vorm had played all of their fixtures on their way to the final, but was dropped to the bench and replaced withHugo Lloris for the decisive game.[28] Compared to their defeat at Fiorentina, Tottenham made three changes in defence, with onlyJan Vertonghen retaining his place –Vlad Chiricheș,Federico Fazio andBen Davies were replaced byKyle Walker,Eric Dier andDanny Rose, with Chiricheș not even featuring on the substitutes' bench.[27] Defensive midfielderBenjamin Stambouli and attacking midfielderErik Lamela were replaced byRyan Mason andAndros Townsend respectively, with the lone striker position changing fromRoberto Soldado toHarry Kane.[27]
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In the 10th minute,Christian Eriksen had the first meaningful shot, hitting the crossbar with a 25-yard free kick for Tottenham. Twenty minutes later,Eric Dier was given the game's firstyellow card for a foul onDiego Costa. At the end of the first half, Chelsea won a free kick on their right side whenBranislav Ivanović was pulled down byNacer Chadli.Willian took the free kick, which arrived atKurt Zouma, played it down to captainJohn Terry. Terry's shot – Chelsea's first on target – went pastHugo Lloris due to a deflection by Dier. In added time at the end of the first half,Gary Cahill had a header from a corner, which was caught by Lloris.[29]
Neither side made a substitution at half time. In the 56th minute,Cesc Fàbregas – who had abicycle kick saved by Lloris – set upDiego Costa, whose shot from the left of the area deflected off Tottenham right-back Kyle Walker and into the net to double Chelsea's advantage.[28] After conceding their second goal, Tottenham made a series of attacking substitutions –Andros Townsend,Ryan Mason and Chadli made way forMousa Dembélé,Erik Lamela andRoberto Soldado respectively – but could not change the score. In the 74th minute, Dier's knee caughtCésar Azpilicueta, drawing blood; the Chelsea left-back left the pitch to be bandaged and returned two minutes later. There were four minutes of added time, in which Chelsea substituted Costa forDidier Drogba.[29]
| Chelsea | 2–0 | Tottenham Hotspur |
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Terry 45'Costa 56' | Report |
          Chelsea |      Tottenham Hotspur |
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Man of the match
Match officials
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Mourinho was pleased to have won the final, earning the 21st trophy of his managerial career: "I am like a kid winning the first one, it's hard for me to live without titles. I need to feed myself with them."[31] Terry was optimistic about the club's prospects for the future, saying, "It is the start of something... we've got a great squad, with some great young players, and hungry and experienced players too. It's a great mix."[31] Although praising the atmosphere at Wembley, Terry ruled out returning to theEngland team, for whom he had not played since 2012.[32] Despite losing, Pochettino expressed pride in his team's performance.[33]
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Matić took part in Chelsea's trophy ceremony in full kit despite being suspended, similar to how Terry had done after Chelsea won the2012 UEFA Champions League Final with him suspended.[34] Mourinho did not concur with the officialman of the match award going to Terry, stating that the honour should have gone toThibaut Courtois andFilipe Luís for their performances against Liverpool, andAndreas Christensen for his performance against Shrewsbury Town.[34]
Chelsea qualified forthe next season'sUEFA Europa League by winning the match. As they qualified for theUEFA Champions League by winning the Premier League, the Europa League place went to Liverpool, who finished sixth in the Premier League.[4]
